Yup. I'm still here. Still training. I've hit the point where I now understand why people say "Training for a marathon takes so much time." My body is feeling a bit tired these days and my "short" runs during the week aren't feeling so short anymore. BUT, we keep going. One day at a time. One run at a time. Keep putting in the work and it will be worth it in the end.

Week 10: This week's short runs (7 & 4 miles) were treadmill runs. My girl, Rachel Hollis and her documentary, Made For More, on Amazon Prime kept me entertained and motivated while I logged the miles. The weekend long run was a milestone for me- 15 miles...15 solo miles. My mental game was good until I hit 13 miles. Then, it was the "holy cowzers, I've never run this far before," kind of meltdown. I pushed hard and got those last 2 miles in. For a while I was nervous. How would I run 11 more miles?!!! Then I remembered...the marathon isn't tomorrow. I don't have to run those additional 11 miles now. When marathon Monday comes around, I will be ready. For now, it's one step at a time.

Week 11: More treadmill runs (8 miles and 4 miles) this week but I tried out some new podcasts to pass the time. This week, I listened to the one-and-only Oprah!!! Her SuperSoul Conversations are wonderfully engaging and inspiring. I enjoyed the Bradley Cooper and Michael B. Jordan interviews. My weekend long run was another milestone- 16 miles. But this time I had some company!!! Kaylie totally crushed 6 miles with me and I'm so grateful! Running with others is so amazing for the soul! Those 16 miles felt much better than last week's 15 and my confidence definitely improved!

Week 12:Here's where I keep it real. I didn't run all the miles I was scheduled to this week. At first, I felt awful about it. How could I not keep up with the plan? But then, I realized that it was ok to listen to my body. I was supposed to run 8 miles on Tuesday. But when my right knee started hurting I decided not to push it and called it quits after 5 miles. Which was definitely the right move. My long run this week was 12 miles, and I got all 12 miles in. Huge thanks to my husband for volunteering to run the entire way with me!!! One more HUGE push before I start to taper...18 and 20 mile runs are coming up quick!